Hedrick, top speedskaters to hit ice

KEARNS — He was one of the biggest and brightest faces of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

But after winning three medals in Torino, Chad Hedrick took some time to enjoy his accomplishments — and it's cost him dearly.

"I just started thinking about training when I got here in September," Hedrick said. "And it's shown."

The one-time threat to win five speedskating gold medals went on an extended vacation and now finds himself skating at times with the B Group of skaters instead of with the fastest skaters in the world he is used to competing against.

"It's been a tough pill to swallow," he said.

Hedrick, along with fellow gold medalist Shani Davis — who has not suffered a dramatic setback in his performance and set a world record in the 1,500 with a time of 1:42.32 last week in Calgary — will hit the ice at the Utah Olympic Oval over the next four days at the ISU World Cup Single Distance Championships.

One face that is seeking to step things up this weekend is Tucker Fredericks. The 23-year-old Olympian said he was embarrassed by his showing in Torino and dug deep to find the motivation to push his performances to the next level.

His efforts have paid off as Fredericks wrapped up a World Cup season championship in the 500 recently. Adding another championship — this time on American ice — would be a perfect way to polish off his breakout season.

"I didn't want to lose anymore," Fredericks said. "I had to ask myself if this was what I really wanted to do and if it was, I had to do it all the way."

Catherine Raney, also a veteran of the Olympic Games, moved her base of operations from Calgary to Utah but has been unable to capture the same success as Fredericks. With turmoil surrounding the national organization's move to Utah and the departure of every distance coach, Raney is wondering if her decision to relocate was a wise one.

Though Raney's season has been disappointing, she is hoping a strong showing this week will soothe her pains.

"This is a big one for us," Raney said. "It's a chance for us to skate in front of our families and our home fans. So we want to perform well."

Raney, Hedrick and others predicted there will be world records set this week in Kearns. With the best skaters in the world at their season's peak and having set a few new records last week on the supposedly slower ice of Calgary, it's probably a safe bet.

"I feel better now than I did last week," Fredericks said. "Hopefully that means things will fall together for one last race."

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